Managing and organizing an effective and innovative product development for increased productivity

A company ́s ability to create new values is crucial to its success and its survival. These values are created by the products and services the company offers its customers. A major factor behind the value creation is the methods and processes that result just in the ability to conduct both effective and innovative product development. With a strategic agenda in this area, we will show the challenges that companies face when they must remain competitive and which are related to management and organization of product development. We would particularly highlight the challenges that arise from an increased rate of innovation, increasingly complex systems and business models and the need for better integration that occurs in a number of contexts. Integration capacity as part of the ability to lead to efficiency and innovation are focused. We would also, based on these challenges, highlight the ways in which (Swedish) excellence in product development must be renewed. We identify what knowledge we have today and what knowledge gaps. We discuss how current knowledge and best practices can be better disseminated and used to renew product development and increase its productivity. We discuss finally what new methods and approaches that are needed. There is strong support from industry to an agenda in this area.